1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf accessories, and more precisely, to a device for implanting a golf tee and ball in the ground without bending over.
2. Description of the Background
Many golfers have anatomical difficulty with the task of squatting and/or bending over to implant a golf tee in the ground prior to driving the ball. The difficulty may arise from back problems, arthritis, knee problems, etc., and what ever the cause it inevitably detracts from the golfer's enjoyment of the game. Thus, here is a need for a golf accessory capable of avoiding and/or reducing the bending a golfer must endure during the course of a round.
There have been prior efforts to develop automatic tee-setting devices, all of which suffer from an inability to set the height of the tee and ball with great precision and consistency.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,432 to Keller shows a tee setting device that plants the tee and then places the ball. Unfortunately, it takes great skill to balance the ball on the planted tee.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,222 to Bunyi shows an unwieldy and expensive automatic golf ball tee setter that a golfer cannot use in regulation play.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,961 to Milano discloses a more practical tee setting device that can be stored in a golf bag and which automatically leaves the ball on the planted tee. However, the height of the tee is determined solely by insertion force, and this leads to inconsistency.
Accordingly, there remains a commercial need for an accurate and consistent golf ball and tee setting device for golfers that are unable to, or are discomforted by back problems, to help them avoid squatting or bending over the ball while implanting the tee.